John Munson/The Star-LedgerMichelle Wie hits her approach to the third green from behind a tree during the final round of the Sybase Classic.

She signed a massive contract with Nike just like Tiger Woods, attends Stanford like Woods did and someday wants to break down barriers like the most dominant player in her sport.

But right now? Michelle Wie sure has a lot more Phil Mickelson in her game than Tiger.

That was the feeling Sunday afternoon watching her at the Sybase Classic. Wie attracted the largest gallery, just like Phil does when he comes to the area. She had the longest drives and made some of the most spectacular shots, just like Phil does any time he tees it up.

She also had a couple of unthinkable miss-hits and questionable decisions -- as you-know-who so often does -- to turn what could have been a breakthrough performance into another near miss.

Wie was a presence on the leaderboard but finished tied for a distant third behind winner Ji Young Oh, shooting a 1-over-par 73 on a day when the cool, overcast conditions at Upper Montclair Country Club felt more like the British Open.

She came close. She fell short.

Just like Phil.

No player can turn the cheers into groans faster than Mickelson, but Wie is charging up that list. She's both breathtaking and infuriating, a golfer who teases you with her potential then leaves you disappointed.

She will win that first tournament, probably this season. Wie is just too talented not to be successful. But she still hasn't found the consistency needed to play well for four straight days. She still hasn't shown the grit required to close out a win.

"Everything felt pretty good out there today," she said when her round ended, sounding more satisfied than disappointed. "I kind of grinded through and learned a lot for next week."

She was standing a few feet off the 18th green where Oh was about to hold up the big check with all the zeroes. The winner is 6 inches shorter in stature than her more famous competitor and 60 yards shorter off the tee, but this Mini Wie put on a clinic in championship golf.

The formula is no secret: fairways, greens and clutch putts. The steadiest player almost always will beat the flashiest player, and at the Sybase, you can add another line to the old cliche:

Drive for show. Putt for dough. Ji Young Oh.

While Oh quietly went about winning the tournament, the fans followed Wie on another eventful day. She hit her drive on the third hole so deep into the woods, it appeared there was no possible escape.

Then Wie, with a Mickelsonesque flair, sliced a booming 7-iron to the fringe and saved par.

It was the kind of shot that could have jumpstarted a round, and her booming drive on the par-5 fourth hole left her just 165 yards to the pin. A birdie was likely, an eagle possible.

Then Wie, with a Mickelsonesque flop, chunked a 7-iron from the middle of the fairway into the water.

"Geez, even I could have knocked that one on," said one frustrated fan, who kept following her anyway.

Wie, to her credit, hung in there on a tough day for scoring. She managed to pull back within three shots with a birdie on the par-5 11th hole, but yet again followed a good shot with her worst.

From the rough on the 12th hole, Wie faced a tough approach to a tight pin over water and sand. The smart play was to the center of the green, but Wie attacked. She flubbed the shot into the hazard and made double bogey, tossing her putter in disgust as she walked off the green.

"It's a very tough hole and 4 is a very good score," said the golfer who carded a round-killing 6.

"I feel like I'm maturing as a player," said Wie, an oft-repeated refrain when asked about the elusive first win. "I'm trying my hardest out there. Most importantly, I'm having fun."

In the third round, Wie missed four birdie or par putts less than 5 feet that, if she made them all, would have given her the lead. In the final round, those two shots on Nos. 4 and 12 cost her three shots, at least, and a chance to contend.

Wie, just 19, still has some growing up to do -- her tendency to leave the green before her playing partners have finished putting is a golf etiquette no-no. It is easy to forget sometimes that this is just her first full season on the LPGA Tour, and to remember that most teenagers would kill for her record.

She'll win her share of tournaments, but first she has to learn that steady usually trumps spectacular. Hopefully, for her sake, she'll learn that lesson faster than Phil Mickelson did.